1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer-implemented registration for export services and, more particularly, to computer-implemented techniques for offering export services to merchants.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to offer customers a variety of items readily available for delivery, many merchants (whether engaging in electronic or conventional “brick and mortar” commerce) hold various quantities of such items within inventory facilities. Keeping items in inventory may serve to buffer variations in customer demand or a manufacturer or distributor's ability to supply various items. For example, different items offered for sale by a merchant may have different manufacturer lead times. Holding quantities of such items as inventory may enable a merchant to offer consistent availability of these items to customers despite the different lead times.
However, in some circumstances, holding inventory may present various costs or disadvantages to a merchant. For example, inventory storage facilities may be expensive to provision and maintain, particularly for smaller merchants who may not be able to efficiently and profitably distribute the fixed costs of such facilities across a limited quantity of inventory. Moreover, should the need arise, scaling an inventory system to accommodate increased demand or volume may be an expensive proposition requiring substantial investment in technology, facilities and/or staffing.
A merchant's holding his or her own inventory may also present disadvantages to customers. As electronic commerce grows in popularity, many merchants increasingly list their offerings along with other merchants via electronic marketplaces that provide a common interface through which customers may search for items and place orders. However, if different merchants are ultimately responsible for fulfilling their own respective orders through such a marketplace, the customer's ordering experience for a given item may vary considerably depending on the merchant from which the item is ordered. For example, a merchant that has little skill or poor processes for order fulfillment may be slow to ship an item, may ship the wrong item, may deliver damaged goods, or may otherwise create a negative customer experience. Such a negative experience may reflect not only on the merchant from whom the customer ordered, but also on other merchants in the electronic marketplace, possibly decreasing customer confidence in the marketplace itself.
Similarly, a merchant that has little or no experience with international commerce, or with the regulations applied to export of goods to other countries and regions of the world, may find it difficult and expensive to support fulfillment of orders for goods to be delivered outside the country. Such merchants may choose to forgo expansion of their businesses outside the United States, and therefore to pass up opportunities for additional revenues that could be generated in other markets.